Combination-pump.



(1R. HOUGHTON.

COMBINATION PUMP.

APPLICATION TILED nncfe, 191s.

lJOLQQS Patented June 23,1914.

2 SHEETS -SHEET 1.

WITNESSES //v I/EA/ r09 wmf i r v/ije ww,

Arrow/5y G. R. HOUGHTON.

COMBINATION PUMP.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 6, 1912.

1,101,493, Patented June23, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES.

v IIVVE/VTOR A TTOR/VEY UNITED snare Parana enrich.

CARL ROY HOUGHTON, 0F CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO CONNEBSVILLE BLOWER COMPANY, OF CONNEBSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

COMBINATION-PUMP.

finances.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented June 23, 11914.,

Application filed December 6, 1913-. Serial No. 804,976.

' To all whom it may concern Be it'kno'wn that T, CARL R. HOUGHTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Conne'rsville, in the county of Fayette and State of Tndiana, haveinvented a new and useful Combination-Pump, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to combination pumps, particularly for use. in pumping mixtures of liquids and gases, such as water andair.

Occasions frequently arise'where it is desirable to pump liquids which are mixed either intermittently or continuously with gases, such as water mixed with air. This has caused considerable trouble, because when the air is sucked in the water seal of the pump is broken partly or wholly, so that with most forms of pumps continual priming, either automatic or manual, is necessary. Some forms of pumps, however, do not require priming, such as the various positive pressure blowers, but these are not adapted for operating on liquids, at least with the same facility and speed as on gases.

According to my present invention, I combine a positive pressure blower, which produces a given vacuum without priming, with a separator which separates the gas and the liquid, the gas from the separator passing to the positive pressure blower for the 'maintenance of the vacuum and the liquid being discharged without passing through such blower. The positive pressure blower and the separator are conveniently direct-connected.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a combination pump embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of such combination pump; Fig. 3 is a vertical central section through the separator, showing its runner on the drlving shaft of the'blower; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the separator, indicating in dotted lines the internal construction of its runner; and Fig. 5 shows a modified runner. The positive pressure blower 10 is'here shown as of the two-lobed impeller ty c, with its intake 11 at the top and its (fischarge outlet 12 at the bottom, so that in case any liquids reach it, it will automatically free itself therefrom. ()n the driving shaft 13 of the positive pressure blower 10 is mounted the runner 14 of a centrifugal separator 15. The casing 16 of this separator has an inlet opening 17 in axial alinement with the shaft 13, which inlet opening 17 is suitably connected to the place from which the liquid which is subject to mixture with gas is to be pumped. The runner 14 consists of a disk 18 which on its face toward the opening 17 has vanes 19 which act on the mixture of gas and liquid to throw it outward by centrifugal force. The disk 18 is provided near its periphery with a number of holes 20, and inclined guard plates 21 project over such holes 20 from the inner sides thereof, thus preventing the direct passage through such holes of the fluid being pumped. The casing 16 is provided With a tangential liquid-discharge outlet 22, in which may be located a check valve 23 for preventing back flow. A stationary plate 24, extending inward from the casing 16 and having a fcentral opening 25somewhat larger than is the hub of the runner-14, is located on the opposite side ofsuch runner from that which carries the vanes 19, and is slightly spaced therefrom, and on the Opposite side of the plate 24 from the runner 14 is a space 26 which communicates in any suitable mannor, as by a pipe 27, with the intake 11 of the positive pressure blower. A relief valve 28 may be located in this pipe 27, to allow ingress of air when the vacuum exceeds a predetermined value, should such cases occur. The ositive pressure blower 10 and the centri ugal separator 11 are conveniently mounted on a single base '30, and it is sometimes convenientfor the discharge outlet of the positive pressure blower 10 and the liquid-discharge outlet of the centrifugal separator 15 to be reunited, as by the 31, as when it is desired to pump the mixture against a head.

In operation, the mixture of air and water, or other gas and liquid, is sucked into the apparatus through the inlet openingl'l.

nous mixture, but more frequently is one in which the proportions of air and water, or other gas and liquid, vary very considerably at different times, sometimes being almost or Wholly liquid and at other times being almost or wholly gaseous. The mixture of liquid and gas strikes the runner 14 centrally, and is thrown outward by centrifugal force acting through the vanes 19. The liquid, being of greater density than the gas, passes to the outer edge of the casing 16, and is discharged through the tangential outlet 22 and check valve 23, while the gas passes around .the guard plates 21 and through the holes 20, then inward along the space between the plate 24 and the runner 14, then through the opening 25 into the space 26, and then througlrthe pipe 27 and intake 11 into the positive pressure blower 10, by which the vacuum is maintained. If by any chance any liquid s hould manage to pass over into the pipe 27, it passes vertically downward through the positive pressure blower 10, so that the latter frees itself automatically.

My combination pump is capable of a great variety of uses, but one place where it is particularly applicable is in themanufacture of ice by the so-called raw water process. In this process the water is not distilled before being frozen, and as the water freezes in the water can the air that is in solution in the water accumulates at the center of the can. If this air is not removed before the block is completely frozen, and its place taken by more water, the finished block of ice will have either a large hole or a mass of snowy ice at the center. With my invention, a hose connected to the inlet 17 of my combination pump is dipped into the central part of the water can just before the water there freezes, and the mixture of air and water there present is pumped out, fresh water being put into the hole in the block to take the place of the part thus removed. During this pumping out action, the water seal 0 the pump is broken as each can is emptied. However, the positive pressure' blower 10 maintains the vacuum, without priming, so that when the hose connected to the inlet 17 is placed in successive water cans the pump begins lifting the mixture of water and air immediately.

Sometimes it is desirable to have vanes 35 on the opposite face of the runner 14 from that which carries the vanes 19, as shown in Fig. 5, so that if any water happens to get through the openings 20 it will be thrown outward by such vanes 35 and prevented from passing on with the air through the opening 25 and into the positive pressure blower 10.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower of the two-lobed impeller type having its intake at the top and its discharge outlet at the bottom, and. a centrifugal separator direct-connected to said positive pressure blower and having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower and a separate liquiddischarge outlet. 1

2. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower having its intake at the top and its discharge outlet at the bottom, and a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower and a separate liquid-discharge outlet.

3. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower of the two-lobed impeller type, and a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower 5 and a separate liquid-discharge outlet.

4. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower and a centrifugal separator direct-connected to said positive pressure blower and having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower and a separate liquiddischarge outlet.

5. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower and a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure 1blower and a separate liquid-discharge out- 6. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower of the two-lobed impeller type havin its intake at the top and its discharge ou et at the bottom, and a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower and a separate liquid-discharge outlet.

7. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower, a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower and a separate liquid-discharge outlet, and a check valve connected to the liquid discharge outlet of'said centrifugal separator for preventing back flow of liquid.

8. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower and a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said posltive pressure blower and a separate liquid-discharge outlet, the liquid-discharge outlet of said centrifugal separator and the discharge outlet of said positive pressure blower being reunited.

9. A combination pump, comprising a positive pressure blower, a centrifugal separator having a gas-discharge outlet connected to the intake of said positive pressure blower and a. separate liquid-discharge outlet, and vacuum-relief valve in the connection memes between the gas-discharge outlet'of said cenday of December, A. D. one thousand nine trifugal separator and the intake of said hundred and thirteen, positive pressure blower for relieving the CARL ROY HOUGHTON. vacuum produced when such vacuum reaches 5 a predetermined value. Witnesses:

In witness whereof, I, have hereunto set J. E. HUSTON,

my hand at Connersville, Indiana, this 1st J. SUTLIFF. 

